Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-04-02
co. SUPERINrENDENr's REPORT
BERKELEY COUNTY SCHOOLS.

the supervision Of a Board of Educa-
ton that has charge of the education
al interests of the district.
The school law, sec. %, provided
that the county superintendent shall
visit each school within his county at
least once in each year. In comply
ing with this requirement, the super
intendent performs no small amount
of hard labor, and is compelled to
undergo exposure in the most UNI
pleasant weather of the year. In the
piercing winds ofwinter, through snow
and sleet, rain and mud, over roads
which are almost impossible he must
plod from school to school. 1.-The were
not animated by the cheering thought
of receiving at the end of the year,
that lin the opinion of some) large
salary $500, which will enable him to
procure SO many comforts and SO
much pleasure for himself and his
family, how could he endure it? /
have visited few of the schools twice.
! Most of the teachers appear to be
alive to the importance of the work
they are engaged in and are using
their best energies to advance their
schools. From inability to govern
and for want of experience on the
part of some of our young teachers
their schools were not In as good con-
dition as / hoped to find them. A
few schools in which good teachers
are employed are not doing well on
account ofcontending factions. They
did not all get the teacher they want
ed, consequently the disappointed
| .xxo, do taf tho cohnnl
We have In the county CT schools
employing 65 teachers, forty of whom
are males and twenty-one females.
At the time 1 visited the schools /
found the enrolment to be 2458, with
an average daily attendance of ITS.
The entire enumeration of the
county is 1854. The amount paid
to teachers last year was Sl3l45.
Average salary of teachers per term
S202.23. AS will will be seen, by the
figures above, only two-thirds of the
youths of school age have entered our
schools this term, and less than one
half of them are in school regularly.
This is a great defect, SO alarming
that it calls for the earnest and united
effort of teachers, parents, school off,
GERS and taxpayers to devise and put
in operation a remedy. Let us all who
are interested in the education of the
young and this includes every citizen
of the county, look around us and try
| to discover the cause of this irregular
and non-attendance and, possible,
remove it. / attribute it partly to
improper location and an insufficient
number of school houses. Some of
the sub-districts have nearly hun
dred children enumerated, but on
account of the school house being To-
Gated at one side of the district, many
of them attend school but few days
term, and some of them never enter
school. One of the obstacles to better
results in our schools is the lack of
interest on the part of the parents.
Many take too little part in the educa-
ton of their children. They seem to
feel that the responsibility rests alone
with the teacher, that they have moth
ing to do but 10 send their children to
school few days in term, frequent
ly without the necessary books, and
the teacher must educate them or he
must be discharged without notice or
ceremony, and branded "Good for
nothing." They will then declare the
free schools to be nuisance. Teachers
are only helpers in the work of educa-
ton. They need the sympathy, con-
| fidence and cooperation of parents.
Parents have prerogatiyes and respon-
sibilities in the education of their
children which cannot be delegated,
and teachers cannot realize this part
and act upon it. Visits to our schools
by parents and school officers are en-
tireiy too unfrequent. Trustees are
bound by law and their official oath
to visit the school within two weeks
after the opening, and again within
two weeks before the close thereof,
and at such other times as In their
opinion may be useful to do so. yet
the majority of schools in this county
have not received an official visit from
the trustees this term. In some ofthe
schools | met commissioners, trustees
and parents who showed their interest
by their presence and in the appreci-
alton of the work.
The need of systematic course of
study and plan of work for the schools
of the whole county, as evidenced by
the great difference In the advance
ment of schools in the same district,
is very plainly visible to an observing
eye. The inexperienced teacher has
nothing to guide him in his work.
There is not enough unity of action.
Every one seems to have different
plan. The best schools in the county
are those that have been taught sew
eral terms by the same teachers. A
few words in regard to the work of
the teacher. The teachers work is
hard and he is in a position of respon-
sibility. A man who works with his
brain, his nerves, his mental Organi-
cation, brings himself into the work
he works with his entire being, body
and soul. An Irishman who was told
that his conscience ought not to allow
him to dig SO slowly, replied, "My
conscience was not hired, only my
body" But the teacher can set up no
such plea, he must give himself, body,
! mind, hearts and conscience-his whole
being to the work. This is the reason
his work is so hard, so very hard.
He tries not only his body, but ali his
thinking, sympathizing, iniaginating
and devising powers. This means
exhaustion, which is more than the
WEAKNESS which comes from muscle
moving, yet his wages aresmall when
compared with those got by men who
merely use muscle. To hold place
ofresponsibility always adds to wages
or should do so. No one holds more
responsible position than teacher.
The goodr ess as well as the intelli-
gence of this generation is to be
handed to the next by the teacher.
If there is to be veracity, honesty,
industry, intelligence, right thinking
and right doing ten, twenty or thirty
years from now, it will be owing
chiefly to the skill and faithfulness of
the teachers of to-day. Let man
think of this and he cannot but feel
that great burden is put on the teach
er. Yet his wages in this county, on
| an avaraua amount To hut 20l0 for a